The present invention relates to a process solution supplying apparatus for supplying a process solution such as a developing solution or a resist solution to a target substrate to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer or an LCD substrate, particularly, to a process solution supplying apparatus capable of supplying a process solution adjusted at a desired temperature to a target substrate and to a fluid passageway opening-closing valve device used in the particular process solution supplying apparatus.
The photolithography technology employed in the process of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes the step of supplying a process solution such as a developing solution or a resist solution onto the surface of a semiconductor wafer. With progress in the degrees of fineness and integration of a semiconductor circuit pattern in recent years, it is of high importance nowadays to control the temperature of the process solutions at a very high accuracy.
FIG. 1 shows the construction of a conventional developing solution supplying apparatus. As shown in the drawing, the apparatus includes a developing solution supply tube 100. The upstream end of the tube 100 is connected to a developing solution supply source 101, with the downstream end being connected to a supply nozzle 102 of a developing device. The developing solution within the developing solution supply source 101 is circulated by a pump 103 through the developing solution supply tube 100 into a temperature adjusting device 104. A temperature adjusting water 105 is circulated about the developing solution supply tube 100 so as to adjust the developing solution at a desired temperature-within the temperature adjusting device 104.
A fluid passageway opening-closing valve device 106 is mounted to the developing solution supply tube 100 downstream of the temperature adjusting device 104 to control the flow rate of the temperature-adjusted developing solution supplied to the nozzle 102. It follows that the temperature-adjusted developing solution is discharged through the nozzle 102 onto a semiconductor wafer at a desired rate. Further, a temperature adjusting water 107 withdrawn from the temperature adjusting device 104 is circulated about the developing solution supply tube 100 in the vicinity of the nozzle 102 so as to control finally the temperature of the developing solution discharged onto the wafer.
However, in the conventional developing solution supply device of the construction described above, the fluid passageway opening-closing valve device 106 is interposed between the temperature adjusting device 104 and the supply nozzle 102. In addition, a suitable temperature control is not applied to the developing solution in the region of the fluid passageway opening-closing valve 106. It follows that the developing solution is susceptible to a disturbance to cause the temperature of the developing solution to be changed easily.
A process solution valve provided with a temperature adjusting circuit is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Disclosure (Kokai) No. 6-201065. The process solution valve disclosed in this prior art is considered to be capable of overcoming the above-noted problem. In the process solution valve disclosed in this prior art, a fluid passageway for the temperature adjusting water (temperature adjusting circuit) is arranged in the vicinity of the process solution passageway within the body of the valve so as to allow the temperature of the process solution to be adjusted even within the process solution valve.
To be more specific, the body of the process solution valve is provided with an inlet port of a temperature adjusting water for supplying the temperature adjusting water into the temperature adjusting circuit and a temperature adjusting water outlet port for discharging the temperature adjusting water. These inlet port and outlet port of the temperature adjusting water are arranged in the side surfaces of the valve body so as not to interfere with the inlet port and outlet port of the process solution.
However, even if the particular process solution valve is used as the fluid passageway opening-closing valve device 106, it is impossible to perform the temperature control of the developing solution continuously.
To be more specific, where the process solution valve disclosed in JP ""065 pointed out above is used as the fluid passageway opening-closing valve device 106, it is certainly possible to adjust the temperature of the developing solution within the fluid passageway opening-closing valve 106 by adding tubes as denoted by dotted lines in FIG. 1. However, it is impossible to adjust the temperature of the developing solution in region A between the temperature adjusting device 104 and the fluid passageway opening-closing valve device 106 and in region B between the fluid passageway opening-closing valve 106 and the supply nozzle 102.
It may be possible to overcome the above-noted problem by arranging the temperature adjusting device 104, the fluid passageway opening-closing valve device 106 and the supply nozzle 102 close to each other. However, it is impossible to arrange these devices very close to each other in view of the required installing positions of these devices and the required arrangement of the developing solution supply tube 100. In addition, since it is necessary to connect each of the inlet port and the outlet port of the fluid passageway opening-closing valve 106 to the developing solution supply tube 100 by using, for example, nuts 109 and 110, respectively, a space for inserting a tool must be ensured. Therefore, the devices 104, 106 and 102 must be arranged apart from each other.
It should also be noted that temperature adjusting manifolds 111 for guiding the temperature adjusting water streams 105 and 107 are arranged in the conventional developing solution supplying apparatus shown in FIG. 1. Since it is necessary to use many temperature adjusting manifolds 11, the piping construction is rendered complex and the entire apparatus tends to be rendered bulky.
Further, in the construction employing the process solution valve disclosed in JP ""065, the tubes for the temperature adjusting water as denoted by dotted lines in FIG. 1 must be connected to the inlet port and outlet port of the temperature adjusting water on the side surfaces of the valve body separately from the connecting portions of the developing solution supply tube 100 to the fluid passageway opening-closing valve device 106. It follows that the piping arrangement is rendered complex, and the apparatus tends to be rendered bulky.
A main object of the present invention, which has been achieved in view of the situation described above, is to provide a process solution supplying apparatus that makes it possible to adjust continuously the temperature of the process solution flowing through a process solution supply tube.
Another object of the present invention is to simplify the construction of a temperature adjusting water supply tube included in a process solution supplying apparatus that permits adjusting the temperature of the process solution.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process solution supplying apparatus for supplying a process solution onto a target substrate to be processed, comprising a process solution supply source, a process solution supply tube having its upstream end connected to the process solution supply source and serving to discharge the process solution from the downstream end thereof onto the target substrate, a fluid passageway opening-closing valve device mounted on a downstream side of the process solution supply tube for opening-closing the process solution supply tube, and a temperature adjusting medium arranged continuously through the fluid passageway opening-closing valve device in a downstream portion of the process solution supply tube including the fluid passageway opening-closing valve device for adjusting the temperature of the process solution within the process solution supply tube.
In the apparatus of the particular construction described above, the temperature of the process solution can be adjusted continuously on a downstream side of the process solution supply tube having a fluid passageway opening-closing valve device mounted thereto. Also, it is possible to decrease the number of manifolds for branching the stream of the temperature adjusting medium (temperature ..adjusting solution) so as to simplify the construction of the apparatus and to make the apparatus compact.
It is desirable for the process solution supplying apparatus of the present invention to be incorporated in a developing device or a resist coating device included in the apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device. In this case, the apparatus of the present invention permits markedly improving the quality of the manufactured semiconductor device.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is desirable for the temperature adjusting member to be a temperature adjusting solution controlled at a desired temperature. A temperature adjusting tube through which flows the temperature adjusting solution is arranged around the process solution supply tube. Also, the fluid passageway opening-closing valve device is provided with a process solution passageway through which flows the process solution and a temperature adjusting solution passageway through which flows the temperature adjusting solution. These fluid passageways and are connected to the process solution supply tube and the temperature adjusting solution tube, respectively.
In the construction described above, it is possible to use a double tube consisting of an inner tube acting as a process solution supply tube and an outer tube acting as a temperature adjusting solution tube.
The process solution supplying apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises an upstream side manifold mounted on the upstream side of the process solution supply tube for introducing the temperature adjusting solution stream into the temperature adjusting solution tube and a downstream side manifold mounted on the downstream side of the process solution supply tube for withdrawing from the temperature adjusting solution tube the temperature adjusting solution that has passed through the temperature adjusting solution tube and the temperature adjusting solution passageway of the fluid passageway opening-closing valve device.
The process solution supplying apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a downstream side manifold mounted on the downstream side of the process solution supply tube for introducing the temperature adjusting solution stream into the temperature adjusting solution tube and an upstream side manifold mounted on the upstream side of the process solution supply tube for withdrawing from the temperature adjusting solution tube the temperature adjusting solution that has passed through the temperature adjusting solution tube and the temperature adjusting solution passageway of the fluid passageway opening-closing valve device.
The process solution supplying apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a pair of process solution supply tubes, a first upstream side manifold mounted on the upstream side of one of the process solution supply tube for introducing the temperature adjusting solution stream into the temperature adjusting solution tube mounted to the process solution supply tube, a downstream side manifold mounted on the downstream side of one of the process solution supply tube for withdrawing from the temperature adjusting solution tube the temperature adjusting solution that has passed through the temperature adjusting solution tube and the temperature adjusting solution passageway of the fluid passageway opening-closing valve device, and a second upstream side manifold mounted on the upstream side of the other process solution supply tube for withdrawing from the temperature adjusting solution tube mounted in the process solution supply tube the temperature adjusting solution that has passed through the temperature adjusting solution tube and the temperature adjusting solution passageway of the fluid passageway opening-closing valve.
In the embodiment described above, a pair of double tubes are used such that a temperature adjusting solution supplied into one of these double tubes is withdrawn from the other double tube so as to simplify the piping system of the temperature adjusting solution. In addition, since the temperature of the process solution supply tube is adjusted immediately before the downstream end of the process solution supply tube, the temperature of the process solution can be controlled highly accurately. Incidentally, it is also possible to use a plurality of sets of a pair of double tubes.
In this case, nozzles are mounted at the downstream end of the paired process solution supply tubes, and the downstream side manifold can be formed integral with a nozzle holding unit for holding the nozzles.
It is possible for the nozzle unit to include a liquid reservoir portion to which is connected the downstream ends of the process solution supply tubes and a plurality of nozzles extending from the liquid reservoir portion toward the target substrate to be processed.
According to another aspect of first embodiment of the present invention, the fluid passageway opening-closing valve device includes a first connecting member for connecting the process solution passageway to the process solution supply tube, and a second connecting member covering the first connecting member and serving to connect the temperature adjusting solution passageway to the temperature adjusting solution tube.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fluid passageway opening-closing valve device, comprising a body, a process solution passageway formed in the body and having one open end and the other open end to permit a process solution to flow therethrough, an opening-closing valve mounted within the body for opening-closing the process solution passageway, and a temperature adjusting solution passageway formed in the body, having one open end and the other open end open in the same direction as the one open end and the other open end of the process solution passageway to permit a temperature adjusting solution for adjusting the temperature of the process solution flowing through the process solution passageway to flow therethrough.
According to the particular construction, the temperature of the process solution can be continuously adjusted even at one open end and the other open end.
In the opening-closing valve device of the construction described above, it is desirable for one open end of the process solution passageway to be open within one open end of the temperature adjusting solution passageway and for the other open end of the process solution passageway to be open within the other open end of the temperature adjusting solution passageway. In this case, it is possible for the opening-closing valve device to include a first connecting member for connecting the process solution passageway to the tube and a second connecting member covering the first connecting member and serving to connect the temperature adjusting solution passageway to the tube.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.